Morning Glories 27
Morning Glories 27 is the 27th issue of Morning Glories. There were 8 variant covers available. This issue also includes an abbreviated MGA study hall and a short four-page non-canon "Morning Glories Babies" Solicitation Tagline: "THERE IS NO BEGINNING." Synopsis Flashback One Year Ago: Casey Blevins enters the office of her AP physics teacher Ms. Clarkson. She notices a paperweight on the desk with "The hour of our release draws near" written on it and is examining it as Ms. Clarkson enters the room. Casey asks her about the phrase and Clarkson tells her that it was from an old book found in the basement of a monastery: Well, there's this young girl, locked up in a prison during the inquisition. All the prisoners there, including her, are beaten and tortured, experimented on — by these captors who seem to alternately hate them and worship them. She tries to escape — But then she starts to suspect that she herself might have actually helped build the prison. Clarkson promises to lend the book to Casey, and then focuses attention on the true reason of Casey's visit: Casey's application to Morning Glory Academy. Casey is skeptical that her overprotective parents would allow her to go. She begs Clarkson to talk to them on her behalf during Parent-Teacher Night; they've been wanting to meet Casey's favorite teacher for a long time. They are interrupted by the arrival of Tom Reed, a history teacher at the school and Clarkson's boyfriend. Casey excuses herself, and Tom remarks on physical similarity between the two. On Parent-Teacher Night, Clarkson is on edge, and spills a bottle of water when she sees Dan and Kathy Blevins arrive. Tom pulls her into a storage room and asks her why she has been weird all night. She claims that it's due to the stress of the parent-teacher meetings. Tom is skeptical that someone as accomplished as Clarkson, could be frazzled by a group of parents, especially since she has a "consultancy" job on the side. Now considerably calmer, Clarkson introduces herself to Mrs. Blevins. Clarkson and Kathy step outside. Kathy accuses Clarkson of being harder on Casey than the other students. Clarkson agrees, but explains that she's trying to help Casey reach her potential. She asks Kathy to stop holding her back: Casey belongs somewhere else. Kathy immediately understands that Clarkson is talking about Morning Glory Academy and says they can't afford the tuition. Clarkson replies that that's just an excuse. Kathy accuses Clarkson of thinking she knows how to raise Casey than Casey's own parents. Since Kathy and Dan were dropouts, they have been fighting all of Casey's life to prove that they can raise their daughter properly. Kathy is worried that all these intruders are only interested in Casey's intelligence and not her happiness, her character, or her ability to do good. She talks about how proud she is of her daughter, and how she thinks that this stems from Casey knowing how much her parents love and support her. Clarkson is brought to tears hearing this testimonial of her mother's love. When Kathy tries to apologize, Clarkson looks her in the eyes and commands her to let Casey apply to the school. Startled, Kathy backs away and retreats back into the school. As Clarkson attempts to compose herself, Lara suddenly appears. Lara tells her she didn't think Clarkson had it in her, but she guesses time changes a person. Lara apologizes to Casey for keeping her waiting. Now Lara Hodge is helping her sister through The Forest towards the entrance of The Cave while refusing to tell her where they are going and why. Lara reminds her that she said she had to "get them away from her" just as a physically sixteen-year old Casey walks out of the cave. Lara welcomes her back and asks her how her "trip" was. Casey responds by punching Lara in the jaw and storming off declaring "Let's get this over with". Daramount is startled at Casey's presence. Lara tells her that Casey is their "get out of jail free card". Daramount argues that Casey won't help them, but Lara says that "She will. Already is actually". Daramount then bemoans the loss of the children but as they leave the clearing, Lara reminds Daramount that "it's never too late" as all the students are shown back in front of the school walls. Daramount appears genuinely happy to see the students again. A guard runs up and says that while most of the students are accounted for, there were a few that were "places they weren't supposed to be" while escorting Vanessa, Fortunato, Ian, and Guillaume. Daramount expresses her disappointment in Fortunato as she gloats over the Truants' failed plans. However, she notices Guillaume's smirk and then immediately suspects Irina. In the dungeon, Jade points a smoking gun at Irina while Irina glares at how close the shot was to her head. Jade orders her to put the gun down but Irina tells her to go first, Irina doesn't miss. Abraham pleads with the two girls, it doesn't have to be this way. Irina replies that it doesn't have to be, but she is happy to let Jade die for Ike's sins. Jade says she has no intention of dying, but she isn't going to let Irina shoot Ike. Irina responds that she would if she "knew who he really was". Jade laughs, knowing Ike is a sociopathic asshole, but she still feels a loyalty to him. She points out that her family are all "crazy republican gun nuts"; she isn't going to miss either. In the forest, Dr. Ellsworth and Hunter are still on the stage. Hunter declares that he's figured it out: Casey is the one who's supposed to do something since she's always the one who steps up to solve problems and is the focus of the teachers' attention. Dr. Ellsworth confirms this. Eagerly, Hunter proposes another theory: Dr. Ellsworth brought him here so that the future him will know to build it. Dr. Ellsworth disappoints him by saying that this theory missed the mark. Hunter angrily complains that Dr. Ellsworth promised answers before, but said there was no time to explain. Now, they have plenty of time, but he's stuck in the future without even knowing what year he's in. Jade relents and tells Hunter to follow her. Irina and Jade continue to threaten each other with their guns. Abraham tells Irina that this won't accomplish what she thinks it will. However, Irina is done with his lies: she has seen the truth and she knows who Ike really is. Abraham replies that even if Irina is right, can she actually go against everything they believe in and kill him? Irina is angry at Abraham for speaking to her like she was still one of his children and Abraham confronts her with the fact that "this" is not why she's here. Irina tells Abraham that none of them are supposed to be here, they do not belong there. As there is a knocking on the door, Irina says that "this will end, I am not going to die for you, do you understand?" Jade is momentarily confused, but when a guard calls through the door asking for Mr. Gribbs, Jade shouts back that Irina had shot Gribbs and asks the guards for help. However Irina implies that this is what she had been waiting for and when the guards break down the door, Irina commands them to take Jade. The guards do so and agree when Irina commands them ("You serve me now. All of you. You understand?"). She orders the guards to bring Ike, Abraham and Jade upstairs. She is no longer going to kill Ike. Instead, she is going to expose Abraham's secrets in front of the truants and see how much mercy they exhibit. As they're walking through the woods, Hunter continues to pepper Dr. Ellsworth with questions. He first wonders what Dr. Ellsworth is worried about since they succeeded in foiling Irina's plan by sending everyone else back in time. Dr. Ellsworth likens their situation to a chess game: Once you break the rules, the game has fundamentally changed, even if the pieces are moved back to their original places. Now think of your school friends as the ones playing the game. And the rules are whatever concepts or belief systems you might need to determine things like the where and when and how of everything around you. When they moved from their point to this point? Those rules went out the window. And now they might be back in their old place on the board, but... they're still playing a different game. They can do and move and change things however they see fit. They exit the forest to see the academy in ruins. Dr. Ellsworth implies that this is a consequence of the "different game". When Hunter asks what happened, Jade replies "War. Destruction. Death. You know - Human Being stuff". Hunter asks if Dr. Ellsworth expects Casey to prevent this. She says that she expects Casey to "set things right". Hunter asks if Casey needs them but Dr. Ellsworth replies that she won't, she knows what has to be done. Casey, having melted through the crowd of students, descends the stairs into the basement. As she opens the door, she tells Lara that she doesn't have to keep so far behind. Lara emerges from behind a corner and replies that if she let Casey deck her a third time, she might be considered an incompetent teacher. Casey says that it's been a long time since she's been her student and reveals that she remembers everything that happened during her time displacement from the bag Lara gave her, to the instructions she followed. However, she still doesn't understand why Lara (or who she represents) is "doing this to us" and why it has to be this way. Lara replies that this was all Casey's choice, she was never forced, "And as far as why... you of all people... you know better than any of us, why it has to be this way: For a better future" and Casey looks into the open room to see the activated Cylinder. Characters Featured *The Glories **Casey Blevins **Hunter **Jade Ellsworth *Lara Hodge *Irina *Abraham *Kathy Blevins Supporting Characters *The Truants **Guillaume Sorel **Fortunato Medeiros **Ian **Vanessa Richmond *Georgina Daramount *Ike *Dan Blevins *Tom Reed Continuity * Lara is helping Daramount through the woods after Lara has nursed Daramount back from the beating the headmaster gave her for losing the children in Morning Glories 20. *Casey exiting the cave was first seen at the end of Morning Glories 25 while the overlaid Lara quote is from the end of Morning Glories 20. *Lara keeps her distance from Casey, saying she does not want to get punched a third time. Casey first punched Lara in Morning Glories 12. *The story Clarkson tells Casey about the prison during the inquisition is similar to that shown in Morning Glories 3. *Lara's statement to Daramount "It's never too late" echos Jun's dying statement to Hisao in Morning Glories 25 "It is never too late, brother...It is never...". *Ike is unconscious on the floor, having been knocked out by Irina in Morning Glories 25 *War was last mentioned in Morning Glories 6 when Julie is listening to a radio broadcast detailing mounting hostilities between the US and an unnamed opponent. *The last panel with Casey in front of the Cylinder mirrors the cover of Morning Glories 6, with Dr. Ellsworth in the same position. *This is the second time we have seen the Cylinder activate in Casey's presence. The first was in Morning Glories 5. Trivia *An alternate version of Page 27, colored by Alex Sollazzo, can be found here. Morning Glories Babies (There's a rugrats reference here somewhere) *Page one: **First panel: Introduction to the cast. Ike and Hunter's poses are from the alternate covers/page 1 of Issue 1. Zoe is from Issue 1. Jade is emulating Linus Van pelt **Second Panel: The flooding detention scene. The blocks do not signify anything (Issue 27 tinychat). **Third panel: Jade being injected by Nine and Dagney with Casey looking on. **Fourth panel: Daniel, the Cylinder, Zoe, and Megan from Issues 5 and 3 **Fifth Panel: Ike going to his reward after betraying the glories. *Page two: **Mention of Gifts **First panel:Zoe with the knife **Second panel: Jade and future Jade (Dr. Ellsworth) **Third panel: Jun, Hisao and the rayguns they were playing with in issue 9 **Fourth Panel: Ike and Abraham **Fifth Panel: Hunter, his watch, and Casey is eating an Apple. **Sixth Panel: Hunter's time problem **Seventh Panel:Georgina and Lara are untrustworthy (The guy in the chair a reference to Dr. Claw) **Eight Panel: Abraham and Gribbs in the basement *Page 3: ** First Panel: Mentions of Time Travel and the displacement during Woodrun. **Casey and Hodge in the past. This is an ET reference with guns replaced by walkie-talkies.Matthew Meylikhov MG Tinychat 27 **Hunter, Maggie, and stabby Zoe **Ike and Jade in the cave. (Are the shadows dancing like an Egyptian?) **Irina spraying Zoe with "ketchup" with Hunter and Ian there. This is a reference to how Joe explained the scene to his young son "she spilled ketchup all over herself". *Page 4: **First panel: The Truants. ** Second Panel: Gifts Irina with a gun (babies don't get real guns), Guillaume, and Ian with the box from Primer. ** Third Panel:The priest is saying "You have some free time on your hands don't you" ** Fourth Panel:Hunter is saying "WTF" **Fifth Panel: Future Jade to Hunter "come with me if you want to live"- Terminator **Sixth Panel: Akiko and Daniel have a moment. Significance of "Friend?"? **Seventh Panel: Ike and Abraham in the Basement. **Eight Panel: Hunter and future Jade at the stage **Ninth Panel: White= time travel and everything is "to be continued" The Billboard The billboard has a few amusing notes including an ad for Ian's film club, a note from Pamela, a flyer for cheer leading tryouts, and a note about Roy. Goofs *After Clarkson orders Kathy Blevins to let just Casey apply to Morning Glory Academy, Lara Hodge shows up, telling Casey that she wasn't sure Casey hadn't it in her. The word hadn't forms a double-negative, is not grammatically correct, and should have been "had" instead. Cultural References *Hunter references Futurama when talking about his time-travelling. In Futurama, the protagonist Philip J. Fry is accidentally frozen, and wakes up 1,000 years later, in the year 2999 AD. Questions Unanswered questions *Does Daramount not know about the cave? *How did Lara know that/when Casey would be exiting the cave? *What does Casey have to "get over with"? *Where did the truants go between Irina's departure and the arrival of Daramount? *Where is Akiko? *Who does Irina think Ike is? *Why is Irina (and the other truants) there? *How is Casey physically 16 but with all the time-travel memories? *Casey wants to know why Lara is "doing this to us", and why "it has to be this way". What situation is she referring to? Quotes "Hey if you refuse to tell me anything, I have a right to guess!"- Hunter Variant covers MG27 H (Ward).png|Variant "E" by Jamie McKelvie MG27 G (Rios).png|Variant "F" by Nick Pitarra MG27 F (Pitarra).png|Variant "G" by Emma Rios MG27 E (McKelvie).png|Variant "H" by Christian Ward MG27 D (Martinbrough).png|Variant "D" by Shawn Martinbrough MG27 C (Guillory).png|Variant "C" by Rob Guillory MG27 B (Frison).png|Variant "B" by Jenny Frisson MorningGlories27.png|Variant "A" by Joe Eisma References External links *Morning Glories Study Hall #27 at Multiversity Comics *MG TinyChat 27 Category:Issue Category:Casey Blevins/Appearances Category:Lara Hodge/Appearances Category:Georgina Daramount/Appearances Category:Hunter/Appearances Category:Ike/Appearances Category:Abraham/Appearances Category:Irina/Appearances Category:Vanessa Richmond/Appearances Category:Ian Simon/Appearances Category:Guillaume Sorel/Appearances Category:Dan Blevins/Appearances Category:Kathy Blevins/Appearances Category:Cylinder/Appearances Category:Tom Reed/Appearances Category:Hunter's Office/Appearances Category:Professor Meylikhov/Appearances Category:Fortunato Medeiros/Appearances Category:Jade Ellsworth/Appearances